Hope
by LostFan4life
Summary: Hope is a dangerous thing to lose. They were two people looking for hope in hopeless situations, but fate has a funny way of giving hope when you least expect it. But will their secrets keep them apart? Jate AU.
1. Chapter 1

Prologue

"_Congratulations, you're pregnant."_

Those were not exactly what she had wanted to hear. It's not that she didn't want to have a baby, she did…someday. She had always wanted to be a mother. When she was younger, she had imagined living in a huge house with the white picket fence, her three children running around playing, and her husband sitting on the porch with his arms wrapped around her as they watched their kids play. This was not part of her plan; she was not supposed to be pregnant and alone.

She wished that she would have received this news a few weeks ago, before Tom had left her for another woman. He had told her that he had met someone else, someone prettier, smarter, and skinnier than her. Those words had hurt her more than she would ever let him know. They had been together since high school, and they had been best friends since elementary schools. Maybe if she had found out she was pregnant before Tom had broken up with her, they would still be together. She knew she was kidding herself; there was nothing she could have done to make him stay with her.

How was she going to raise a baby by herself? She could barely afford her rent and food, but now she was going to have to pay doctor's bills and baby stuff. There were always other options; abortion, adoption, she knew that she didn't have to raise it herself, if she didn't want to. Abortion seemed to be out of the question, she couldn't kill a baby, it wasn't its fault she was in this situation. Adoption sounded like a good idea, but she wasn't sure if she could part with her baby once it was born. She didn't have any family, at least none that she was still talking to. The next nine months were going to be the hardest thing that she was going to have to go through, and she was doing it alone.

"_I've met someone else."_

Those four words hurt more than anything he had ever experienced. He knew that they were coming, but it didn't make them any easier to hear. They had been having problems for months now, and the blame had always come back on him. According to her, he worked too much and never had any time for her. He knew that he worked too much, that was what spinal surgeons did…fix people and save lives. Lately though, he had throw himself into work more than he ever had before. It had started after their first fight and had only worsened with every fight thereafter.

It had never been the fairytale marriage that he had dreamt about. She had been his patient and he had been her doctor. He went out with her out of pity; her fiancé dumped her after he found out that she would probably never walk again. He wanted to make sure that she was okay, he felt so bad for her. Making sure she was okay somehow turned into two years of dating and one year of marriage.

It wasn't that he didn't love her, he did, but he wasn't in love with her. The hardest thing about this divorce was the fact that he had failed once again. He had failed Sarah and his father. If it was one thing that he hated it was failing people. He had an obsession with trying to be perfect, trying to prove to everyone that he had what it took. However, he had failed and now he was alone once again.

Author's note: Please review and tell me if you think that I should continue. Chapters will be much longer, this is just the introduction. I came up with this storyline while I was at work and I just had to post it tonight to see what you guys think. Thanks for taking the time to read my story and please let me know what you think, even if it's just a short little review.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 1

Author's note: This mistake in this chapter has been fixed. Thank you, P for pointing it out to me.

"_I think we should see other people,"_ Tom told her, as he paced back and forth around the apartment they shared. He has some hard news to tell her and he knew that it was going to be easy for her to hear. The truth was he was already seeing someone else. Her name was Cindy and he had met her while on a business trip. She had been his flight attendant on the plane he had been traveling on. It had started off as an innocent cup of coffee after the flight, but had somehow turned into something more over the past four months. He had fallen in love with her. He knew that Kate would never understand, but he just couldn't spend the rest of his life with her. He loved her very much, but he wasn't _in_ love with her anymore. They both deserved to be in happy relationships, not stuck in a relationship just because they were too afraid to leave each other.

"_What…what do you mean?"_ Kate asked, her voice trembling with fear and confusion. Tom had been the only man she had ever been with. They were soul mates, best friends, and so much more. She had known him her whole life and had been in love with him since she was sixteen. In her eyes they were still as hopelessly in love as they had been in high school.

"_I just don't think that this is working out," _he said, letting out a small sigh, he could already see where this was headed, and it wasn't pretty.

"_What's not working out?" _She questioned him, everything had seemed perfect for her. There had been no warning signs, nothing to make her think that he would want to break up with her. Sure they had little tiffs here and there, but they always made up with each other before the day ended.

"_Us."_ He stated simply, as he watched her cringed at the way he had said it. Tom knew that they only way he was going to be able to completely end it, was to hurt her even more. He hated hurting her like this, but it was what had to happen in order for him to be with Cindy.

"_I've met someone else."_ He had said it, the four words that would break her heart into a million little pieces. _"Her name is Cindy and we met four months ago on one of my business trips. I love her so much and I want to spend the rest of my life with her. She is pretty, smart, and super skinny."_ He added the last part in knowing that she would take it as Cindy was better than her. In some ways he wanted this to happen because he figured it would make it easier for her to move on.

"_I thought…I thought you loved me," _She struggled to get the words out of her mouth. Tears were now threatening to fall from her eyes and a lump slowly made its way up her throat. She was completely taken back; he had never said anything like this before. She had always imagined him being so kind and caring if they ever broke up, not rude and heartless. This was not the Tom she had fallen in love with thirteen years ago, he had changed and not in a good way.

"_I did, but things have changed and I can no longer pretend to love you." _He couldn't bring himself to look up at her, so he just continued to stare down at his feet. He didn't want to see the pain and disappointment in her eyes, it could've made him change his mind and he had already promised Cindy that they could be together. _"I've moved on, Kate, and so should you_."

An awkward silence filled the room, neither one of them looking at each other, both continued to stare at their feet. After a few minutes of this, Tom decided that it was best to leave. He made his way down the hall and into their bed room to retrieve the suitcase he had pack earlier that day. She followed closely behind, not saying a word, just watching as he continued to grab the last of his belongings.

"_We can fix this,"_ she pleaded with him, as he made his way out of their bedroom and towards the front door. _"I will do whatever it takes, just please…please don't leave me."_ She could no longer fight the tears, they began to roll down her face, as a helpless look took over her face. _"I love you, Tom."_

"_I love you, too, Kate," _He told her, turning the knob of the front door with his free hand, _"but I can't stay with you anymore." _ It pained him to hear the soft sobs that were coming from behind him, but he just couldn't find the strength to look back. Pulling the door open, he made his way out of her apartment, not looking back, not saying goodbye.

Kate felt her world fall apart as she watched the front door shut. She couldn't believe what had just happened. How could he do this to her? He had been seeing another woman for months and had said nothing. He had acted completely normal towards her. They continued to function as a normal couple, he even been hinting at marriage. He had never come right out and said that he wanted to marry her, but he had mentioned that marriage was very important to him. He had never wanted to marry her; he was talking about wanting to marry Cindy.

The more she thought about it, the more it all started to make sense. He had been having late night meetings and business dinners. He had been going on a lot of business trips, claiming that his company needed him to help with launching new stores. He had even claimed that there was so much work that the company had added extra hours to everyone's schedule. How could she have missed it? All the signs had been right in front of her the whole time.

She felt sick to her stomach. The thought of Tom being with another woman made her feel like she could vomit. It was even worse that he had been with Cindy while he was still with Kate. Her stomach began to turn, as the thought continued in her head. She was losing the battle with her stomach and she found herself running towards the bathroom.

….

It had been a week since Tom had left her and the vomiting had yet to stop. She noticed that it happened mostly in the mornings, but sometimes certain smells would trigger it. Assuming that it was just the flu, she tried to continue with her daily routine, but when she was late, she knew exactly what was going on. She didn't need a doctor to tell her that she was pregnant, but she figured she would at least see one to confirm what she already knew in her heart.

"_Kate Austen,"_ a nurse called out into the crowded waiting room, as Kate slowly stood to her feet. _"Dr. Burke will see you now."_ The nurse told her, leading her down the hall way into a small, white examining room.

After an hour of testing Dr. Burke had finally managed to make her way back to the room with the results.

"_Congratulations, you're pregnant,"_ Dr. Burke told her as she closed the door behind her. _"It looks like you're really early into your pregnancy, five maybe six weeks."_

"_Thank you,"_ Kate said as she tried to hold back her tears. She had to get out of the hospital and be alone; she needed to digest this information alone. _"I have to go,"_ Kate said as she made her way off the examining table and over to the door.

"_Don't forget to see the front desk to schedule your next appointment,"_ Dr. Burke reminded her, as Kate nodded rushing out of the door. She felt like she could throw up again. She was pregnant and alone, not exactly a first time mothers dream.

Once she had scheduled her next appointment, she headed towards the elevators and pushed the button to take her to the lobby. The elevator seemed to stop on every floor, letting people on and letting them off. She seemed lost in her own little world; she didn't even notice the tears that made their way down her face.

When the elevator finally reached the lobby, she darted out of it knocking over someone in the process, papers flew everywhere and Kate somehow managed to end up on the floor.

"_I am so sorry,"_ The man told her as he held out his hand to help her up. She could tell that he was a doctor, not just any doctor; he was the chief of surgery. From what she could tell he had to be in his late thirties, maybe early forties.

"_No, it's my fault,"_ She apologized as she took his hand he helped her stand to her feet. She felt a spark of energy when their hands connected, it was something she had only heard about in movies, but never actually experienced it in really life.

"_It has just been one of those days."_ She told him as she tried to recover from what had just happened. She could tell that he had felt that spark too, but neither one of them knew what to say about it. 

"_I completely understand, it has been one of those months for me,"_ He agreed with a small nervous laugh. _"Are you okay?"_

"_I'm okay,"_ she told him hoping that he hadn't seen the tears on her face that she had been crying on the elevator.

"_I didn't hurt you did I, because it looks like you are crying?"_ The doctor asked her, as he looked at her face trying to look for any cuts or scrapes.

"_I'm just having a bad day, you didn't hurt me,"_ she reassured him as she bent over to start picking up the papers she had made him drop.

"_Do you want to talk about it?"_ He asked her as he started to help her with the papers. _"I know that I am a complete stranger, but if you need to talk to someone I'm here. In fact, why don't I buy you some lunch, you know to make up for knocking you over." _

"_Okay, but I think that I should know your name first."_ Kate was a little hesitant to accept his offer, but she decided that maybe it would be a good idea to talk about some of her problems, and he seemed like the kind of guy she could trust.

"_It's Jack,"_ the man told her, _"What's yours?"_

"_Kate,"_ She answered him as she gathered the last of the papers off the floor.

"_Well Kate, do you want to get some lunch with me?"_ He asked her once more, trying hard not to flirt with her, but there was just something about her that made him want to get to know her better.

"_Yes, I would love to."_ She wasn't sure why, but she had a feeling that everything was going to be okay. The man had been so nice to her and there was something about him that made Kate feel safe and that was something that she hadn't felt in a really long time.

Author's note: Special thanks to everyone who reviewed and encouraged me to continue this story. You guys rock! I worked really hard on this chapter, so it would mean a lot if you would review it and tell me what you think. The next chapter is going to be from Jack's point of view, so we will find out what he thinks about meeting Kate and the spark of electricity they felt. Also, Kate's doctor was Juliet and she will be appearing in future chapters. ;)


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 2

Author's note: Thanks to P, for finding that mistake in chapter two. I am working on another story that involves Kevin and I just got mixed up on which story I was working on. I have fixed it. Thanks so much for letting me know.

It was late when Jack finally arrived home, so he was surprised when he saw Sarah waiting for him in the kitchen. It was very unusual for her to be up so late waiting on him, most of the time she went to be hours before he got home. He somewhat found it relieving to come home and find her asleep because it meant that they couldn't fight. He was used to fighting with her, it was the only thing they did now. After one year of marriage the only thing they had to say to each other was 'hey'. Jack hated that it had to be like this, but no matter how hard they tried, they just could not seem to make it work.

"_Hey,"_ Sarah greeted him, sitting at the kitchen table sipping her glass of red wine. She had been waiting up for him for hours, of course that seemed to be the norm these days.

"_Hey,"_ Jack responded, taking his jacket off and placing it on the back of his chair. He knew what was coming; the icy cold atmosphere gave it away.

"_How was work?"_ She asked, trying her best to make small talk with him but she knew that no matter what she did this wasn't going to be easy.

"_Long,"_ he answered with a sigh as he pulled up his chair next to hers. _"You know how hospitals can be."_

"_Listen, Jack, we should talk,"_ she started, but Jack cut her off.

"_I know what you're going to say,"_ he told her as she looked away from him. _"I know you want to get a divorce, but please just let us give it another chance,"_ he begged her, grabbing her hand from across the table.

"_Jack, I'm afraid it's too late for that,"_ Sarah told him, tears now falling from her eyes as they met his.

"_It's not too late. We can fix this…I can fix this,"_ he told her, wiping the tears from her eyes. _"We can go on a romantic getaway or go to a marriage counselor; I will do whatever it takes to fix this."_

"_See that's just it with you, Jack,"_ Sarah shouted, jumping up from her seat. _"You always need something to fix, but you can't do it this time…you just can't,"_ she told him, her voice now barely above whisper.

"_Sarah, I know that I work a lot, but I promise things will get better,"_ Jack told her, his voice was starting to tremble. He didn't want to get a divorce because that would mean that he had failed once again and he didn't want to admit that he had failed this time.

In his father's eyes he had always been a failure. According to Christian, Jack didn't have what it took to save people. He had spent his whole life trying to prove to his father wrong, but in the end it had only ended up costing him his marriage. Sarah was right, he always needed something to fix and no matter how hard he tried to fight it, a part of him knew that he always would.

"_Jack…I can't,"_ Sarah paused for a moment trying to collect her thoughts_, "we can't go on like this anymore."_

"_We don't have to, I will change,"_ Jack felt like he was begging her and in some ways he was. He was holding on to something that he never really had to begin with.

They both deserved to be happy, to live the kind of life they had always wanted. It was unfair to hold her back just because he was afraid to fail. Maybe someday he could find someone who would make happy, someone who would make him want to stop trying to fix things. Sarah wasn't that one; in fact she made him want to fix things even more. It had started with fixing her, then fixing her broken heart, and now here he was trying to pick up the pieces of their shattered marriage.

"_It's too late for that, Jack,"_ Sarah told him, trying to steady her voice as she prepared to tell him her secret. _"I've met someone…someone else."_

Those words hurt him so much. He knew that the divorce was coming, but he didn't expect her to move on so fast. He knew she deserved someone who could make her happy, he wished more than anything that he could have been the one to do that for her.

"_Sarah, I…we,"_ Jack stumbled over the words, trying to process everything that had just happened. _"How long?"_ It was the only thing he could manage to say, the only thing that would come out of his mouth.

"_About two months,"_ Sarah answered, turning her head away from him in shame_. "I didn't mean for it to happen, but you were never home and I was lonely."_

"_It's okay,"_ Jack said after what seemed like hours of silence, but in reality it had only been a few minutes_. "I know I drove you away, but I'm here now."_ He knew that he shouldn't be fighting it this hard, but he just couldn't seem to let it go.

"_I want kids, Jack,"_ Sarah told him, tears one again streaming down her face. _"You work way too much to be here for kids and you don't show any interest in wanting any anyway." _

Everything she had said was true, he wouldn't be able to be there for his kids because saving lives demanded most of his time. He had never really even considered having kids because he knew that he wouldn't be a good father to them. It would be hard to be a good father when he had a horrible role model.

"_I want a husband who is __**in love**__ with me."_ Sarah continued, trying her best to wipe away her tears.

He didn't love her, not in the way that he should. It surprised him that she knew that he wasn't in love with her. That was something that he never wanted her to know, but no matter how hard he had tried he couldn't hide the truth.

"_Sarah, I'm so sorry,"_ he apologized, feeling a small lump began to make its way up him throat. _"I never meant to hurt you, I do love you, but I'm just not in love with you. I'm not sure I ever really was." _

"_I know,"_ she told him, her voice now starting to sound calm. _"I've known for six months, but I was hoping that one day you would be."_ A sad smile fell over her face, as her eyes met his.

"_What…what are we going to do now?"_ He asked her, finally letting it go, deciding it was best to move on.

"_We go on our separate ways and live our lives,"_ she answered, wiping the last of her tears_. "My lawyer has all the papers ready, so the divorce can go by fast and hopefully painlessly if you want."_

"_Okay,"_ he sighed as he sat back down at the table_. "I will be out first thing in the morning."_

"_You can stay for a few days until you find a place to stay,"_ she offered, setting down the chair next to him.

"_Just for a few days and then I'll be out of your way,"_ he agreed, squeezing her small hand. _"I do have one favor to ask though,"_ he told her, looking back at her eyes.

"_Anything,"_ Sarah replied, giving him a questioning look.

"_Can we still be friends?"_ he asked her, knowing that is request would be hard for them, but he wanted her to be part of his life…someway, somehow.

"_We will always be friends, but it will take some time,"_ she told him as a smile appeared on her face.

"_Good,"_ he replied, as he stood up and made his way over towards her, giving her a friendly hug.

….

It had been a week since Jack and Sarah had agreed to end things, and even thought they ended it on friendly terms, Jack was still struggling with the decision to end their marriage. He had been drinking a lot, something he always did when he was depressed, never enough to cause any real problems, but the habit was still there. It hurt him to think that he had let down his family, the people that he cared most for.

"_Dr. Shephard,"_ one of the nurses called out from behind him_. "Your twelve-thirty meeting was rescheduled, so you have a little break. You can actually take a lunch break today."_ She let out a small laugh as she finished telling him the news.

It was no secret to anyone in the hospital that Jack never took a lunch break. In fact, since the breakup he hadn't even slowed down enough to sit down for five seconds.

"_Maybe you're right,"_ he replied, causing the nurse to give him a puzzled look. _"I should take a little break, maybe check out the cafeteria food," _he finished, giving the nurse a small smile.

"_Good for you, Dr. Shephard,"_ The nurse said to him, as she continued on down the hallway.

Jack decided that going down towards the cafeteria wasn't a bad idea; he could use the free time to get caught up on some paperwork. After going back to his office to pick up a few files, he made his way towards the elevator to go towards the cafeteria.

It happened so fast, one minute he was pushing the up button on the elevator and the next his papers were all over the floor and a beautiful young woman was sitting next to them.

"_I am so sorry,"_ Jack apologized, reaching his hand out to help the young woman. He couldn't help but notice how beautiful the young stranger looked. He had met many different people in his life time, but there was something different about this woman.

"_No, it was my fault,"_ the woman replied, taking his hand as he helped her stand up. Jack was shocked when he felt a spark of energy flow through him as he touched the woman's hands. It was the kind of thing you heard about in movies, and if you were lucky you experienced it when you met 'the one'. He knew that sounded cheesy, but something definitely made him feel a spark.

"_It has just been one of those days,"_ she told him, as he was trying to sort through his head what had just happened.

"_I completely understand, it has been one of those months for me," _he agreed with her, laughing a little. He noticed that her eyes were red almost as if she had been crying. _"Are you okay?"_ He questioned her, hoping that he didn't hurt her when he had knocked her to the ground.

"_I'm okay,"_ the young woman said as she tried to wipe tears from her face. From the looks of it she had been crying pretty hard, so it must have been whatever news she had received from her doctor.

"_I didn't hurt you did I, because it looks like you are crying?"_ He asked once more, as he examined her face to make sure that she didn't have any scrapes or cuts.

_I'm just having a bad day, you didn't hurt me,"_ The woman tried to reassure him, but he didn't seem to buy the fact that she was okay. Whatever she had been crying about, was something that she probably needed to talk about and get off of her chest.

"_Do you want to talk about it?"_ he offered, bending over to help her pick up his papers. He knew that it was a long shot, but he couldn't just leave her alone and upset. _"I know that I am a complete stranger, but if you need to talk to someone I'm here. In fact, why don't I buy you some lunch, you know to make up for knocking you over." _He couldn't believe he had just asked her that, she was a stranger there was no way she would want to talk to him about her problems.

"_Okay, but I think that I should know your name first." _ The woman hesitated, but finally answered him.

"_It's Jack,"_ he told her, a bit shocked that she seemed to agree to have lunch with him. _"What's yours?"_

"_Kate,"_ she responded, handing him all of his papers from off the floor.

"_Well Kate, do you want to get some lunch with me?"_ He was trying so hard not to flirt with her, but he just couldn't help himself and at this point he didn't really have anything to lose.

"_Yes, I would love to,"_ Kate replied, giving him a friendly smile.

"_Great!,"_ he said, as he led her back into the elevator and pushed the button to take them to the second floor. He had no idea what he was doing, but it sure felt right.

Author's note: Next chapter will be their _'date'_ _and_ they will get to know each other better. ;) Please review and let me know what you think about this chapter. I hope it wasn't too rushed, I have been working on it for days and I wanted to finish it tonight so I could update for you guys. I know that Jack kind of let the whole Sarah thing go without really getting mad at her, but he knew that he wasn't in love with her and she deserved to be happy. I wanted them to end things on a good note because I really believe that he did love Sarah, but he wasn't in love with her and only stay with her because he felt like he had to. Anyway, I would love to hear your thoughts on this.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 3

Author's note: Thanks so much for the wonderful reviews! : ) Here is the next chapter!

"So what brings you to Los Angeles?" Jack asked her, taking a seat next to her at the cafeteria table.

"What do you mean?" She asked with a puzzled look on her face. "I live here."

"I know you live here now, but you're not from around here," he told her, giving her a flirtatious grin. It was obvious to anyone who had grown up in L.A. that Kate was definitely not from around there originally.

"And what makes you think that, Jack?" she asked him, deciding to play along with his little game. Kate thought that she had adjusted nicely to California living, so she wasn't sure was gave it away that she wasn't from there.

"Well, for one, the way you dress," he informed her, but she cut him off immediately.

"What is wrong with the way I dress?" She asked defensively. Sure she didn't dress like a super model, but her clothes were still pretty nice.

"Nothing," he told her, laughing at how cute she seemed to be when she was angry. She seemed to be cute no matter what she did and that was a problem for Jack. He knew that he was falling for her and he was falling hard.

"What is so funny?" She asked, trying hard not to laugh along with him, but his laugh was so infectious.

"You are just so cute when you get mad," he told her, making her blush. He couldn't believe he had actually said that out loud.

"Okay, but I still don't understand how the way I dress gives away that I'm not from around here," She questioned him, still trying to figure out what he didn't like about her clothes.

"Most people from L.A. wear designer clothes, and put on way too much makeup, and you seem to dress like you're from the country, not the city." He answered, still taking in how naturally beautiful she was.

"Well, I guess you've got me all figured out, Dr. Shephard," Kate said, with a grin. She couldn't help noticing how charming and sweet he was. She knew that he was the kind of person she would fall hard for, but she was trying to fight it.

"Not yet," he replied, "I still don't know where you are from and what you are doing in a big city like Los Angeles.

"I moved here from Iowa about a year ago," she told him, as she started to recall all of her painful memories. "I moved her with my ex-boyfriend Tom. His job transferred him and I moved with him thinking that we were going to get married and start a family.

"So what happened?" Jack asked, hoping he wasn't be too personal, but wanting to know more about her.

"Cindy-Cindy happened," Kate answered, a tear fell from her eyes and she knew that she was going to lose it in front of him. "He met her on a business trip and the fell in love. He told me about her a week ago and said that he was leaving me for her." She barely managed to choke out the last few words before the tears started flowing freely from her eyes.

"I am so sorry, Kate," Jack said, trying his best to comfort her. "I didn't mean to upset you, I just wanted to know more about you."

"It's okay, I know that you didn't mean any harm," she told him, wiping the tears from her face. "So tell me about you," she said, trying to change subjects.

"What exactly do you want to know about me?" He asked her, giving her a small smile hoping to cheer her up.

"Are you married? Have any kids?" Kate asked, wondering why in the world he was hanging out with someone like her.

"I'm actually going through a divorce right now," he answered with his eyes focused on the table.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Jack," she apologized, ashamed that she had brought up such a painful subject.

"It's fine," he told her, looking back up at her. "Things ended on a positive note and we have agreed to remain friends."

"You are remaining friends for your kids?" She questioned, assuming that that would be the only reason people could remain friends after getting a divorce.

"No…no kids," he replied with a laugh. "I never had time to give her any kids, always too busy saving lives…I guess."

"How can you remain friends if there were no kids involved?" she asked him, still baffled at the thought of two people remaining friends after breaking up.

"I wanted to remain friends," he told her, wondering what she thought of him now that she knew the truth. "We were never really in love, so no hearts were really broken."

"That's so nice that you guys are still friends," Kate said, unsure of how to respond to something like that.

"Yeah, I guess it is. Even though I was never in love with her, she was still a big part of my life and part of me will always care about her." He told her, hoping that he wasn't scaring her away with his past.

"I understand," Kate replied. "That is really sweet that you want her in your life. I'm not sure I could do that."

"You never really know what you would do until you are faced with that situation," Jack sighed, as he looked down at the food on his tray. He had been so wrapped up in talking to this beautiful stranger that he barely touched his food.

"I guess you're right," Kate agreed, noticing his sudden interest in his food. It made her realize that she hadn't even had a bite yet.

They both looked up at each other and started to laugh.

"I guess I really like talking to you," Jack laughed, it was true he enjoyed her company. She was so easy to talk to.

"I really like talking to you, too," she told him, giving him a shy smile. Talking to Jack made her seem to forget any problems she had at that moment.

The two remained silent for a few minutes as they began to eat their lunch. Neither one knew what to say next, but yet both felt comfortable with the silence.

Jack was the first to speak once they had finished the food. "Do you think we could do this again sometime?" He asked her, hoping that she would agree to a real date.

"You mean like a real date?" She questioned, hoping he meant a real date and not just lunch in the hospital cafeteria.

"If you want it to be a date," Jack answered, hoping she felt the same spark that he had.

"Sure, but I must warn you that it has been a long time since I have been on a real date," she warned him. As much as she wanted to get to know him, she also didn't want to get hurt again.

"I know what you mean," he told her, giving her an understanding nod. He couldn't believe what was happening. He had gotten up this morning as a broken man and after meeting a complete stranger had found a little hope. Something about this just seemed right, almost as if it were meant to be. As if it was destiny.

Author's note: I don't know if I really like this chapter, so I may rewrite it. I wanted to get in an update because I'm not sure when I will be able to update again. I am in the process of moving, so everything is kind of crazy. Please review and let me know what you think. : )


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 4

Author's note: Hey guys, I know it had been awhile, but I am officially back! I decided not to put the date in this chapter because as I was writing it, I came up with another idea. Sorry if this disappoints anyone, but don't worry I will make the next chapter have a lot of Jateness. : ) Thanks for all the reviews. Please let me know what you think of this chapter and let me know if you have any suggestions because I am always open to them. Enjoy!

She shouldn't be doing this, moving on so fast. She knew that she should be sitting around waiting for Tom to change his mind and come back to her. She should be sitting around crying that he wasn't there for her or their baby, but she couldn't. It didn't matter anymore, no of it did. All that matter was Jack. He had been in the only thing she could think about since she had met him at the hospital. It was like nothing else in the world mattered when she was with him. She knew it was crazy, but she couldn't help what she was feeling inside.

Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard the phone ring. She knew that it wouldn't be Jack because he was still at work and he had told her that he would call when he was on his way to pick her up for their date. Still, she wondered who it could be because she didn't have anyone else to talk to other than Jack.

"Hello?" Kate answered the phone on the third ring. She waited for what seemed like hours for the person on the other end to respond.

"Katie," The voice on the other end said. The voice was very familiar, but Kate was sure that she was dreaming at this point. Could he really be calling her?

"Tom?" Kate asked, forcing the words to come out of her mouth. It had only been two weeks, but she could barely remember what he sounded like on the phone.

"Oh, Katie, I've missed you," Tom told her, breathing a sigh of relief into the phone. "I think that we should meet up and talk. I think…I think I have changed my mind."

This should have been a happy moment for Kate. She was getting everything she wanted; only now she didn't want it anymore. She didn't want to be with Tom, she didn't need to be with Tom. She needed someone who wouldn't hurt her the way he had, she needed someone she could trust with her heart.

"I think that we need to talk, but I don't know if there can be an 'us' again." It had been hard, but she managed to get the words out and still sound firm about it. She knew she couldn't let herself give into him because she would get lost in him once more if she did.

"Katie, I'm sorry," Tom tried to apologize once more, but Kate cut him off.

"I can't do this right now, Tom. We need to talk, but I can't be with you, at least not right now." Kate knew she was about to fall for him all over again, but she couldn't, not until he proved himself to her.

"Okay, when do you want to talk?" He asked.

"Are you free tomorrow?" She asked him. It wasn't something that she could do today. She hadn't thought that she would have to tell them about their baby because she thought that he was long gone.

"Yes. We should grab some lunch and talk," He suggested.

"Okay, I will meet you at the diner on the corner of Hollow street around noon," She told him, as they said their final goodbyes before she hung up the phone.

Kate couldn't decide if she was upset, confused, angry, or all of the above. How could he do this to her? He had left her pregnant and alone for another woman and now he had the nerve to say that he made a mistake? The worst part was that Kate actually wanted to make things work, but she knew that it would just end the same. Once a cheater, always a cheater.

She decided that it was best if she just forgot about the phone call and started getting ready for her date with Jack. She had been so excited about their date, but now she was almost dreading it. She really liked Jack, but there was so much he didn't know about her and when he found out she knew that whatever they had would be over. Who would want to date a pregnant lady? The fact was that once she told Jack about the baby, it would be over. She had decided not to tell him, at least not until she could no longer keep it a secret. It was wrong, but in some ways she was denying the truth from herself.

Her thoughts were once again interrupted by the phone ringer. She knew before looking at the caller I.D. that it was Jack.

"Hey," She said trying her best to cover up the fact that she had been crying over the whole Tom/ baby drama. She knew that he would be able to tell because she sucked at faking happy.

"Kate, have you been crying?" Jack asked, his voice was full over concern as he waited for her to answer.

"A little, but it is nothing," She told him, trying to down play the situation.

"Kate, you can talk to me. You know that, right?" He asked. "I know that we haven't known each other that long, but you can trust me."

"I know," She answered. "Tom my ex-boyfriend called me today. He said that he wanted to get back together with me."

"Oh," Jack couldn't figure out how to respond to that. He really liked Kate, but he knew that she had really loved Tom and he just wanted her to be happy. "We don't have to go on the date."

"No, I want to," she told him. "I told Tom that we could get together and talk, but that we couldn't get back together."

"Are you okay with that?" Jack asked, not completely convinced that this is what she really wanted.

"Yes, I am. I want to get to know you, Jack." It was the truth; she wanted to get to know Jack. They had some kind of connection that was very hard to deny.

"Okay. Well, I am on my way over to pick you up," He told her. She could hear the excitement return to his voice as he said goodbye. She could feel the excitement return to her after their phone call and she knew that she had made the right choice about Tom.

She knew that their relationship wasn't going to last, after all it wasn't based on honesty, but she was going to have fun while it lasted. She only had a few months left before she would no longer be able to hide her pregnancy and she was determined to have fun and not fall in love with Jack. She didn't know how hard that was really going to be. Nothing ever goes the way we plan…nothing.

Author's note: I know that this is short, but at least it is an update. Next chapter will be much longer. I hope you guys understand why Kate is not going to tell Jack about the baby. She doesn't want to hurt him, but she still wants to be with him. She doesn't want him to know about the baby because she is afraid of what he will think about her and she doesn't feel like she can deal with another heartbreak, so she is not going to tell him until she has to. I am writing it this way to add drama, but don't worry this IS a Jate story. : )


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter

Kate sat nervously in the diner booth as she waited for Tom to show up. She wasn't sure exactly what she would say, or even what she should say, but she knew that no matter what he said, she couldn't get back together with him. She wasn't even sure she wanted to, but it would be so easy for her to run back to him, especially since she was having his baby. A few months ago, she would have given anything to be with him again, but after meeting Jack, she realized that Tom wasn't what she needed anymore.

Her baby deserved better than that, it deserved a father that would stick around through thick and thin and she knew that Tom could not be that kind of father. In the few months that she had known Jack, he had made her realize that she didn't have to settle for less than she deserved. Although Jack was not the one for her, she knew that there was someone out there that was right for her. In her heart she wished that it would be Jack, but she knew that he wasn't ready to be a father and she wasn't ready to tell him about the baby. By the time she told him, it would be too late. He would hate her for lying and they would be over. The best thing she could do was enjoy the time she had left with him.

"Hello, Gorgeous," Kate was snapped out of her thoughts as Tom sat down in the booth.

"Tom, don't start that with me." She told him, annoyed by the fact that he thought he could win her back. He was arrogant and thought that he could win his way back into her heart, but she knew better than to let him back in.

"Katie, I love you and I realize that now." Tom said as he took her hands and held them in his. "Please forgive me."

"Tom, I don't want to get back together with you. I am seeing someone now and I really like him." Kate tried to explain, but she knew that Tom didn't understand.

"Yeah right, Kate," He chuckled, not buying into any of it.

"I can't get back together with you, Tom," Kate said looking him in the eye.

"What do you mean 'you can't'?" Tom said starting to get irritated. "Do you really think that your new guy will ever love you more than me?"

"Yes, I do and I think he already does." Kate tried to keep her cool, but she was starting to get really mad. She couldn't believe that he was trying to scare her back into a relationship with him.

"Kate, you and I both know that you will be running back to me in a month, so let's just put all of this behind us and get back together." Tom said as a laugh escaped his lips.

"No matter what happens, I will never get back together with you!" Kate shouted, he had pushed her far enough and she was not going to sit back and take it anymore."My baby deserves better than that, better than a father like you!"

"You're pregnant?" Tom asked. The look on his face was a mixture of surprise and happiness. "That is perfect! Now you have to get back together with me because you are having my baby." Tom said, once again trying to scare her back into being with him.

"You walked out on us, so you don't get to be in my child's life!" Kate said, standing up out of the booth.

"You're wrong about that, Kate. I will take you to court. You will be mine again, just wait and see." Tom told her as an evil grin appeared on his face.

"Just stay away from me, Tom." Kate said before storming out of the diner.

She had never seen Tom act that way before, he used to be so nice and kind, but now he was manipulative and control. The worst part about all of this was that she was kind of scared of him now. She hoped that he would go running back to Cindy and forget all about her, but now that he knew about the baby, that was impossible.

She knew that she shouldn't have told him, but she felt he had a right to know that he had a child, even if he was never going to be part of its life. However, she wished that she had never said anything because she knew that the battle was about to get ugly. If it was one thing she knew about Tom, it was that when he wanted something, he would do whatever he had to in order to get it.

Once she had made it to her car, she started it up, and took off. She wasn't about to let Tom see her cry because she didn't want him to have that much power over her. The tears came on fast and hard once the diner was out of sight. It made it difficult for her to see, so she pulled her car over and tried her best to get it together.

It took Kate an hour to get home because of all the crying that she did, but she finally pulled herself together long enough to get home. She had barely had time to set her stuff down before she heard the phone ring. Praying that it wasn't Tom, she answered.

"Hello?" She answered, trying not to sound like she had been crying.

"Kate, it's Jack, are you okay?" He asked, sensing that she had been crying.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I was just watching Titanic and I always seem to cry at the end." She lied. She laughed a little after saying that because half of it was the truth, she did always cry at the end of Titanic.

"Oh, Okay." Jack chuckled. "Are you ready to go out for dinner? I got off earlier than I thought and I figured we could beat the crowds."

"I will be ready in about twenty minutes, will that work?" She asked, knowing that she would have been ready now except for the fact that all the crying had messed up her makeup.

"Sounds good, I will see you in twenty minutes!" Jack told her before hanging up the phone.

The evening went by faster than Kate thought it would. Somehow being with Jack made her forget all of her troubles and time just seemed to fly. He had made the date perfect. He had greeted her with a dozen red roses and then he took her to one of the best restaurants in Los Angeles.

She didn't deserve to be treated like this, like a princess. She was lying to him or at least not being completely honest with him. She knew that he deserved to know the truth, about Tom and about the baby, but she was too worried about his reaction. Kate hated herself for not telling him, but all she wanted was to have a good time and forget about all of her troubles and Jack did that for her. He was so easy to be with; he was almost like her drug. She knew that she was using him, but it was the only way to escape her troubled world.

_Four weeks later:_

"Kate, are you okay? You have seemed a little off tonight." Jack questioned as they drove back to his apartment after another one of their many dates.

"I'm fine," She said, brushing it off as nothing. She had finally agreed to stay the night with Jack and the guilt of lying to him was making her regret the decision.

"I'm so happy that you are staying over tonight," Jack told her, taking her hand with his.

"Me too." She responded, giving him a shy smile.

The rest of the car ride was quite, both of them comfortable with each other's silence. It took them about an hour to get to Jack's apartment due to all the crazy Los Angeles traffic, but they finally managed to make it.

"Here we are!" Jack said as he set Kate's overnight bag on the couch.

It had been a miracle that Kate had agreed to stay the night with him. It took a lot off convincing on his part, but he was finally about to get her to agree to it. He told her that they would be able to spend more time together because he wouldn't have to drive her back to her house and he also wouldn't have to get up and go to work so early because he lived right down the street from the hospital.

"You're apartment is amazing!" Kate said as she took in the view of the city from the windows.

"Not as amazing as you are," Jack said as he came up behind her and began to place kisses on her should and up her neck.

"I had a wonderful time tonight," Kate told him as she turned to face him.

"I did too," He agreed before kissing her softly on the lips. The kiss quickly turned into a full on make out session and before Kate wrap her mind around what was happening, Jack's hands were playing with the hem of her shirt.

"I don't think that this is such a good idea," Kate said as she gently pushed him away. She knew what would happen if she let things go too far, she would end up undressed and Jack would see her small, but still noticeable baby bump.

"I'm confused, isn't this why you agreed to stay the night with me?" Jack asked puzzled by her actions.

"I agreed to stay with you because I want to spend more time with you, but not like this," She told him, her voice full of panic, panic that she tried to hid, but failed.

"What is going on, Kate?" He asked, now extremely worried by her actions. "We have been dating for almost six weeks and you still won't let me do more than just kiss you. I mean it is fine if you're not ready, but I just need you to be honest with me."

"I'm just not sure that I am ready for you to see me like that," She told him as she looked away from him.

"Are you worried about how you look, is that it?" He asked her, using his hand her brought her face up so that her eyes could meet his.

"I guess," She said trying not to make any big deal about it because she didn't want a lot of attention to be on her changing body.

"You look beautiful, but if you want to wait I completely understand," He said as he pulled her into a hug.

"Thanks, Jack. I am so sorry that I have been so crazy lately." She apologized as she buried her head in his chest.

"It's okay; I think that it's cute." He chuckled as he led her over to the couch.

"So, do you want to watch a movie?" Jack asked once they had settled down on the couch.

"Yeah, I would like that." Kate replied, snuggling closer to him as he flipped through the movie channels looking for something to watch.

_The next day:_

"Hey, Jack, I haven't seen you around in awhile," Juliet said as Jack made his way onto the elevator.

Jack and Juliet had been best friends ever since they had met in med school. The rarely got to see each other these days due to their busy schedules, but every now and then they ran into each other in the hospital.

"I have been busy," Jack answered. "I am kind of seeing someone and I think that it could be something serious."

"Congratulations," Juliet said, giving him a friendly hug. "When do I get to meet her?"

"I don't know. Do you and Sawyer want to double date on Friday?" Jack asked.

"We would love to!" Juliet answered. "I better get going, but I will have Sawyer call you to work out all the details." Juliet told him as they reached their floor and made their way off the elevator.

"Okay, see you on Friday!" Jack shouted as he watched her walk away.

Author's note: Mini Cliff hanger! Remember that Juliet is Kate's doctor, so she knows about Kate's secret! Tom is now becoming more involved in this story, so expect to see/ hear more from him in the coming chapters! Sorry if you guys liked Tom, but I had to make him a jerk for the sake of the story.

I gave you guys a pretty long chapter to make up for the lack of updates. In case there is any confusion: Kate and Jack have been dating for six weeks, Kate is now about 3 months pregnant, and Jack, Juliet, and Sawyer are all best friends. If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask me.

Thank you guys for all the wonderful reviews encouraging me to continue my stories, it is greatly appreciated. Please review and let me know what you think. I would also love to hear what you guys want to see happen in this story, so if you want to see certain characters or want certain things to happen, you are welcome to suggest them. Thank you so much for reading!


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

"Ms. Austin, Dr. Burke will see you now." The young nurse called out.

Kate stood up and followed the nurse back towards the examining rooms. She was finally going to find out the sex of her baby and get to see it on the monitor. She wasn't sure if she was excited about finding out or not. There was a big part of her that was excited; she was going to get to see her baby. Even if everyone else abandoned her, she knew that she would always have her baby. There was also a big part of her that was scared and a little depressed about seeing her baby. It would finally be really and she was going to have to tell Jack and end their relationship soon. She knew that it wasn't real, their relationship was based on a lie, but even with all that, Kate had still fallen for him.

"So, Kate, how have you been feeling?" Dr. Burke asked, as she entered the room.

"Pretty good, just a little tired." Kate answered. She figured that the stress of Tom, the baby, and of course keeping all of this from Jack, had made her more tired than normal.

"Well, it sounds like you are doing well. Are you ready to meet your baby?" Dr. Burke asked, as she turned on the machine.

"As ready as I will ever be," Kate sighed.

It didn't take long for Dr. Burke to find the baby that was inside of Kate.

"Do you see it?" Dr. Burke asked, pointing to the screen.

Kate nodded. She was at a loss for words as she looked at the screen. She was looking at her baby, her little miracle.

"Do you want to know what you are having?" Dr. Burke asked, interrupting Kate's thoughts.

"Yes, please," Kate answered, still in awe over the little thing growing inside of her.

"It is still a little early to tell, but it looks like you are going to be having a little girl." Dr. Burke told her.

Kate just continued to stare at the screen; tears began to roll down her cheek as she tried to take in everything that was happening. She was going to be a mother to a beautiful little girl. At that moment, nothing else mattered, all her worries were gone.

Dr Burke left Kate alone in the exam room so she could change back into her clothes, before coming back in with the sonogram photo. The picture was a little blurry, but Kate could definitely tell that it was her baby.

"I guess that I will see you again in about four weeks. If you need anything before then, feel free to give me a call." Dr. Burke told her, before moving on to the next patient.

Kate felt as if she were floating on a cloud. She completely forgot that she was even in Jack's hospital until the elevator door opened and she saw Jack waiting to get on.

"Kate? What are you doing here?" Jack asked, surprised to see his girlfriend at the hospital.

"I..uh..was coming to see if you wanted to grab some lunch." Kate quickly covered as she shoved the sonogram photo in her purse before Jack had time to see it.

"I would love to, but it will have to be quick because I have a surgery at one." He answered, giving her a kiss on the cheek. "This is a wonderful surprise."

They continued to make small talk until they elevator reached the hospital lobby. Once they had made their way out of the elevator, they headed down to the cafeteria. The cafeteria seemed to be quiet, not very many people were having lunch, so they were going to have the whole place to themselves. They went through the line and picked out whatever looked edible.

"Is this going to be all together?" The cafeteria lady asked.

"No," Kate tried to say politely, but Jack interrupted her. "Yes." Jack said, giving Kate a reassuring smile.

"You didn't have to do that, you know?" Kate said, as they found a table.

"Of course I did. What kind of boyfriend would I be if I made my girlfriend pay for some disgusting hospital food?" He replied with a small chuckle.

"Thank you." Kate said, knowing that she wasn't going to win this battle.

She loved that he treated her like a princess, but it also made her feel horrible. She felt bad enough about keeping the truth from him and then he had to go and do something nice for her. To make the situation even worse, he was acting as if this relationship was very serious. Kate knew she couldn't blame him; she hadn't exactly given him any reason to doubt that it was serious, but it was making things harder for her.

"You don't need to thank me, but if you feel strongly about it, you can do me a huge favor." Jack answered.

"What do you want me to do, Dr. Shephard?" Kate asked with an innocent smile.

"Have dinner with me and two of my closest friends." Jack responded, as he took her hand in his.

"Of course I will. When is this dinner?" Kate asked.

They had been dating for six weeks and Kate had yet to meet anyone that Jack called a friend. She knew that she should have never agreed, but it couldn't hurt to meet his friends.

"Friday around seven, or whenever I can get off work," He answered.

"I can't wait to meet your friends!" Kate told him, as she started to eat her salad.

Jack was about to speak when Kate cell phone began to ring.

"I should answer it," Kate told him, as he nodded in agreement.

"Hello?" Kate said into the phone.

"Katie, it is Tom," The voice responded. "Listen, I wanted to give you one more chance to get back together with me, before I take you to court and fight for my baby. One way or the other, I will have you Kate. It may take getting that baby, but I will get you back."

"Just leave me alone!" Kate shouted into the phone before slamming it shut. Her hands were trembling and tears began to roll down her face.

"Everything, okay?" Jack asked sensing that Kate was very upset about the phone call she had just received.

"It was Tom, my ex-boyfriend. He wants to get back together with me, but I told him that I don't want to and now he is threatening me." She began to ramble. She tried to stop the words from coming out, but she couldn't.

"He threatened you?" Jack questioned, the anger was very evident in his voice. "What did he say?"

"It is nothing, Jack, forget I said anything." She said, trying to downplay the situation.

"Give me your phone, I will handle this." Jack told her, reaching for her phone.

"Jack, please just let it go," She pleaded with him, grabbing the phone from his hands.

"I will let it go for now, but if it happens again, I am going to deal with it." He informed her.

"Okay," She whispered, trying her best not to break down in front of him.

She had no idea how she was going to get out of the mess she had created for herself, but she knew that it definitely wasn't going to be easy. Little did she know that she was going to have a lot of explaining to do very soon.

Author's note: Very sorry that I haven't updated in a while, I have had some family problems going on. I am also sorry that it is not the longest update, but I wanted to give you guys something. : ) Thank you so much for all the wonderful reviews! Please let me know what you think about this chapter.


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